Free Then Came You (The Wilde Sisters #2) by Marianne Rice Page B

five-year-old’s head. Thyme thoroughly enjoyed watching him try to get out of his own way.
    “Well, could she?” Thyme asked.
    If his manners weren’t high class he’d surely have growled at her. Grayson narrowed his eyes and pinched his lips together. Thyme grinned and sipped her iced tea.
    “Actually, I haven’t a clue how much it costs to be a princess.” He sighed.
    “Can you find out? Do you have enough money to make me one? Or help me catch some butterflies?”
    Thyme laughed out loud, earning herself another scowl from Grayson.
    “It’s not a monarch butterfly I’m referring to. A monarch is a head of state. Like a king or queen.”
    “Do you know any kings or queens who can make me a princess?”
    “Sorry, Maddie, I don’t.”
    “Oh.” Her cute lips puckered and pouted.
    “Don’t let that get you down. You can be anything you want to be. You don’t need lots of money to reach your dreams.”
    “Yeah, but it sure helps,” Thyme spoke into her glass.
    “Can we go for a boat ride? I saw lots of boats on the water yesterday. Can we go, Thyme? Please? Grayson, can you go with us too? I’ll give you a kiss.” Her usual bribe to get what she wanted. Not that Maddie was spoiled. She was an affectionate little girl who loved to give hugs and kisses and was smart enough to realize flattery could get you further in life. Apparently she had more of Grayson in her than Thyme realized.
    “Sure. Maybe tomorrow.”
    Thyme kicked him under the table and frowned. She cleared her throat and mumbled so only he could hear, “Don’t make empty promises, Grayson.”
    “Yay!” Maddie bounced out of her seat and kissed Grayson on the cheek. Thyme shook her head in disappointment. Most likely something would come up and Grayson wouldn’t be able to fulfill his promise to his little girl. She pushed back the familiar feeling of parental rejection.
    An odd twist of fate for her to be the voice of reason. A first time for everything. “I’m sure Grayson is busy tomorrow. You and I can go out for a ride, okay? I’ll call around when we get back to the hotel and find someone to take us out.”
    The waitress came by to clear their lunch plates. “Anyone care for dessert?”
    “Would you like some ice cream, Maddie?” Grayson was the master of distraction.
    “Yay! Can I have chocolate with sprinkles?”
    “You can have anything you want,” he promised his daughter.
    Sure. Anything but a full-time dad.
    When Armand dropped them off at the hotel later in the afternoon, Thyme thanked him and picked up a sleeping Maddie in her arms.
    “Will you be going anywhere else today, Miss Wilde?”
    “No, Armand. Enjoy the rest of your day.”
    “Thank you. I’ll see you at eight tomorrow morning then.”
    Thyme shifted Maddie in her arms and turned back to the driver. “Eight?”
    “Mr. Montgomery booked a sailboat for you and Miss Davenport tomorrow. He said you two would be gone most of the day. I’ll have a lunch packed for you both as well.”
    “Oh, well, thank you. I’ll see you in the morning then.” She turned and walked toward her suite wanting to despise Grayson for taking the liberty to plan their day for them, but she couldn’t. It would have been a nicer gesture had he intended to join them. Armand didn’t say anything about Grayson coming along. His comment about packing a lunch for “both” her and Maddie made it clear he had spoken too soon at lunch.
    Thyme couldn’t figure out if she was more disappointed that Grayson wouldn’t be there for his daughter or that she wouldn’t be able to see him tomorrow.

 
     
     
     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Five
     
     
    Grayson
     
    He did it. Granted, he hadn’t seen Maddie or Thyme since their lunch date three days ago, but he had just about every loose end tied up now. He could take a few days off to get to know his daughter, maybe even relax and get to know Thyme as well. Franklin Kincaid, his new head foreman, had proved himself more than capable